Skip to main content

Review - A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

This is a larger-than-life kind of book. Where you trade between one character to another or one story to another seamlessly. You don't even feel the need to go back to the other end. You enjoy what is presented to you. Well! At times you despise it too. As per my understanding, the story revolves around three main themes - Relationships, Abuse/Trauma, and Depression. You can find some ideas or opinions interchangeably in these.

Character names - Jude, Willem, JB, Malcom, Andy, Harold, Julia and Richard

Depression

If you have ever read anything Depression, then you just know the tip of the iceberg. This book takes you down on a deeper level and shows you what is underneath the iceberg. Now, you might not be ready for it but it has been shoved at your face. You have to have it despite its uneasiness. I took a break from time to time to grasp the story in a much better way. A person can excel in his career but the ghosts of the past won't let you live in peace. Some incidents are not meant to be 'let bygones, be bygones'. You live with them every single day and it makes you do weird things. Weird because in the eyes of society, they are not right or sane per se. But according to you this is the way you live your life and deal with your demons. And it doesn't make sense to them.

What would you feel or rather how would you feel if the person you love cuts themselves every other day or several times a week? It doesn't make sense. Right? Because for us therapy would be the best way possible but what if that foundation has been taken away from you and you have stopped believing in the system altogether. You do not blame anyone but you do not like it either. You have been abused so much that you hate yourself so much that nobody can make you feel loved or make you feel safe. You just cannot let your guard down even for a second because whenever you have done that you have been abused because of your vulnerability.

The only way to move forward is never to talk about it and just try to blend in. You try to excel at your studies and become the best lawyer in town, who wins every single case. Yet when you come home you are a different person altogether. It is so hard to put two and two together, because when you do your mind shudders. You don't feel sympathy. You are full of love and care for that person.

Jude - the protagonist, the bravest person, the most vulnerable soul, a fierce lawyer, the best friend, the best chef and the self-hater.

This is the story of Jude, who has been through so much in his life that when the story starts you would not know where you will end up. But you have liked his character since the beginning. Everybody loves him for who he is except himself. The narration is so good that you feel what he is feeling. You go through the same emotions along with him. Yet you'll always be behind him. He is a sweetheart who has seen so little and so much that everything is white and black for him. He would not want to talk about the grey areas because he doesn't like to be interrogated about stuff that makes him who he is, but he feels he is a separate entity in front of people.

I know someone who used to cut too and it never made sense to me. But now I know a bit I guess. When you have been brainwashed to hate yourself since your developing years, it becomes hard to undo this thinking when you are an adult. When you have been taught to hurt yourself to let go of the pain that you carry inside, this looks like the only way possible. Not even for a second, do I justify their behaviour but you need to make sense. This is what therapists do. They don't justify the behaviour they look for the reasonings.

And I'm sure you will find your reasoning in the book. You might agree to disagree with a few thoughts and scenarios but try to look at the bigger picture. Before starting the book, I read reviews and they said it is depressing and sad. But I would like to disagree as it is full of melancholy but full of love too. Yes, melancholy graces the most part of life here but the love it receives makes up for it. Because life is like this too; made up of joy and sorrow. Now, which part you focus on more becomes the story of your life.

Rating - 5/5

Genre - Contemporary Fiction

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review - The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy

There are moments when you just want to ask questions and sit beside your friend. You want someone to answer them for you even if you know the answers yourselves. When the answers come from someone you are close to, they look much easier to deal with than before. They make more sense whenever you fail to convince yourself. Such is the magic of good friends and companionship. This book is all about it. You will read all about love, kindness, tenderness, and courage. The book revolves around The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, as the title suggests. First, the boy meets the mole, and later they meet Fox. As the journey goes on, they ask each other questions which are simple but thought-provoking. You would want to sit and think about answers that you would have given or hoped for after you are done reading. It will make you wonder how sometimes the simplest of things have the most impact. My favourite quote from the book is when the boy asks, “What is the bravest thing you’ve e
2 comments
Read more

Review - The Sound of Boots by Merena Toppo and Mansi Sharma

  It is a Covid lockdown story which revolves around a father-son duo. The book depicts several stages of their relationship, from their initial lack of communication to their eventual warming up to each other. It is a simple story that touches my heart and gives me mixed emotions of happiness and grief. We all had such moments during lockdown where we found our lost love towards our family and loved ones. For some, it has been a nightmare. Yet, for some, it represented a glimmer of optimism that transformed their life. This story gives confidence that everything is attainable with equal efforts from all sides. Here, the father unveils a few secrets about his life that he has not shared with anybody, not even his wife. And this secret reconciles the bond between them. Sometimes, someone who fears judgement holds so much inside that they worsen the situation. When expressing their fears is all they need to do to release themselves. It is a lovely book that encourages you to be more acce
1 comment
Read more

Review - Starburst by Robin Pilcher

The book has multiple characters, which makes it very difficult to follow. However, once everyone has been introduced, everything begins to make sense. Set amid Edinburgh Festival makes the story more happening as every character has a specific role in the festival. It is fascinating to see how they unexpectedly cross paths. The book starts with Tess Goodwin, who works in the Main office, then moves on to other characters like Albert Deussuin, Angelique Pascal, Rene Brownlow, Gavin, etc. The best thing is each character has a unique gift and struggles to overcome, yet it’s interesting to see how they work together to support one another. Initially, you might be put off, but if you give it some time, you’ll get hooked. I believe each character represents us in some or the other way. When I first started reading this book, I didn’t have high expectations, but by the time I finished it, I was happy with how well-structured it was. If you are planning to read a light book, go for it. Ratin
1 comment
Read more